Scandals of the Scottish Tudor Court by Blythe Gifford

Today, I'd like to welcome back guest blogger, Blythe Gifford to History Undressed! Today she's written a fascinating piece on scandals in the Scottish Tudor court! I thoroughly enjoyed this post and hope you do to! Leave a comment WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS for your chance to win! 2 winners--your choice of book one, RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR or book two, CAPTIVE OF THE BORDER LORD. 

Blythe Gifford – Scandals of the Scottish Tudor Court

When I started researching the Scottish court for my Brunson Clan trilogy, I didn’t even know that Henry VIII’s sister was a Queen of Scotland, nor that Henry’s nephew became King James V.

But as I delved into history, I quickly discovered that Tudor blood ran lusty on both sides of the border.  Both Queen Margaret and her son would have been right at home on a Showtime episode.  Here are some tidbits.

Queen Margaret, Henry’s older sister, divorced before Henry.  As a 25 year old widow of the Scottish King James IV, she married, for love, a decision both she and the country came to regret.  Archibald Douglas, 6^th Earl of Angus, took her money, kept a mistress in one of her castles, and kidnapped her son. 

In despair, she wrote her brother that she was considering divorce.  Ironically, Henry sent her a pious and crabby note saying that marriage was “divinely ordained.”  Obviously, he was a man open minded enough to re-examine his opinions a few years later.

Without her brother’s support, Margaret succeeded in getting the Pope to release her from her marriage to Angus on the grounds that he had been pre-contracted to another woman.  It seems to have been an annulment, which is a little disingenuous since they had a daughter together, who, in an amazing sleight of hand, was legitimized by a special clause in the decree that severed her parents’ marriage.

By that time, Margaret was already living with the man who would become her third husband.  After a brief honeymoon period, Henry Stewart, Earl of Methven, proceeded to steal her money and live with a mistress and their children.  This time, her plans for divorce were squashed by her son, by now, king in his own right.

Angus, James’ stepfather and acting Regent, held the young man captive for several years and ruled in his name.  History has blamed Angus for encouraging James’ wicked ways in an attempt to prevent him from focusing on the fact that his throne was being withheld. 

It is not clear that James needed much encouragement.  He fathered at least nine children out of wedlock, three of those before he was twenty, apparently by as many mothers. 

King James had a habit of traveling incognito among the people, calling himself the "Gudeman (Goodman) of Ballengeich."  (Ballengeich, or “windy pass,” was the nickname of a road that ran by Stirling Castle.)  Though history does not report all the details of the travels he took disguised as a commoner, one wonders whether the “Gudeman” might also have fathered a child or two.

Although the identities of some of the mothers of his known bastards are lost to history, some of his mistresses were the daughters of Scottish nobles.  Their children were treated accordingly and several of them played prominent roles in Scottish history.

Five of the illegitimate sons of King James V were named “Priors” as children.  This meant they held the five richest livings in the Scottish Church—Holyrood, Kelso, Melrose, Coldingham, and St Andrews. (This did not happen, of course, without the approval of the Pope.  James apparently wrote asking his permission for three of his illegitimate sons to receive ecclesiastical positions before 1532, when the boys were still babes.  James, unlike his uncle, remained a staunch Catholic all his life.)

His first queen died soon after their marriage, but his marital record was much better than might have been expected.  Once married to his second wife, Mary of Guise, he seemed to settle down and they had three children together.

The irony of all this, is that despite fathering seven illegitimate and two legitimate sons, his only heir was a daughter:  Mary Queen of Scots. 

And so, Mary faced her father’s cousin, Queen Elizabeth of England, in a battle for the island.  After the death of both Mary and Elizabeth, Mary’s son James (the sixth of Scotland, the first of England), became king of England as well as Scotland. 

His great-grandmother on both sides(that is to say, his sole great-grandmother) was Margaret Tudor, but he kept his dynasty’s Scottish name:  the Stewarts.

CAPTIVE OF THE BORDER LORD, Book Two of The Brunson Clan, is on bookshelves today.  The e-version will be released January 1.  Here’s the description:

TO MARRY HIM WILL BE TO BETRAY HER FAMILY

Bessie, the selfless sister of the powerful but stubborn Brunson clan, has sacrificed herself for her family’s honor and is at the mercy of the court of King James. Ill-suited to court life, she must confront their mortal enemy, Lord Thomas Carwell, dressed in nothing but borrowed finery and pride.

Underneath the relentless gaze of her captor, she’s enticed not only by him but also by the opulence of a world far removed from her own. When the furious king demands her brother’s head, Carwell is the only one to whom she can turn. But she must pay the ultimate price for his protection….

January 2013

Harlequin Historicals^TM

ISBN# 978-0-373-29722-1

A lucky reader who comments on today’s blog will be randomly selected to win a signed copy of (your choice) RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR (Book 1) or CAPTIVE OF THE BORDER LORD (Book 2). 

Blythe Gifford has been known for medieval romances featuring characters born on the wrong side of the royal blanket. Now, she’s launched a Harlequin Historical trilogy set on the turbulent Scottish Borders of the early Tudor era:  RETURN OF THE BORDER WARRIOR, November 2012; CAPTIVE OF THE BORDER LORD, January 2013; and TAKEN BY THE BORDER REBEL , March 2013.  The Chicago Tribune has called her work "the perfect balance between history and romance."  Visit her at www.blythegifford.com, www.facebook.com/BlytheGifford, or www.twitter.com/BlytheGifford. 

Photo credits.  Cover used with permission.  Author photo by Jennifer Girard.  

Guest Author, Margaret Mallory on SCOTLAND, 1513: From the Golden Time To Chaos

I am super excited today to introduce you all to our guest author, Margaret Mallory. Margaret is a 2010 RITA Finalist for her book, Knight of Pleasure, the second book in her England-set medieval series ALL THE KING'S MEN. But today, she's here to tantalize us with a bit of Scottish history (and a girl after my own heart since her post also happens to be about the Tudors!) and her NEW Scottish romance series--which I CAN'T WAIT to read! I had the pleasure of meeting Margaret in person last year at the RWA National Conference, as well as enjoying membership with her through Celtic Hearts Romance Writers and Hearts Through History, she is sweet, funny and smart and I look forward to reading her work for many years to come! So, without further ado, I give you Margarget!

SCOTLAND, 1513: FROM GOLDEN TIME TO CHAOS

by Margaret Mallory

My new Scottish series, THE RETURN OF THE HIGHLANDERS, takes place during the chaotic aftermath of Scotland’s crushing defeat at the Battle of Flodden.

James IV

What a difference a day makes. In this case, that day was September 9, 1513, the day the Scots were defeated by the English at Flodden.

Before the Battle of Flodden, Scotland seemed to be on the verge of a golden age. King James IV fostered the growth of universities, supported musicians and poets, and built palaces that rivaled those on the continent.


The Great Hall at Stirling Castle


The king, who learned to speak Gaelic, even gained the allegiance of the usually rebellious Highland chieftains. For a time, he also achieved “Perpetual Peace” with England by his marriage to Margaret Tudor, Henry VII daughter, in a union hailed as the Thistle and the Rose. Peace, perpetual or otherwise, proved difficult to maintain with Margaret’s aggressive, younger brother, Henry VIII. When France called on Scotland’s help in fighting the English, James IV honored the Auld Alliance and marched into northern England with perhaps 30,000 men.



Margaret Tudor

Henry VIII - 1509

The king led the Scots to a crushing defeat at the Battle of Flodden in Northumberland. Thousands of Scots died in the battle. The king, who foolishly put himself in the thick of the battle as if he were an ordinary soldier, was among the many, many dead. His body was so mutilated that there rumors for years that the body was not his and that the king had escaped.

Unfortunately for Scotland, the king left a seventeen-month-old babe as heir to the throne. Pro-French and pro-English factions vied for power, and clan chieftains saw an opportunity to increase their lands and influence.

The young and handsome Douglas chieftain, the Earl of Angus, charmed his way into the queen’s bed almost before the king’s body was cold. The fact that Margaret Tudor was pregnant with the dead king’s child did not appear to give either of them much pause.

Archibald Douglas, Earl of Angus

My hero and heroine in THE GUARDIAN, Book 1 of THE RETURN OF THE HIGHLANDERS, meet up with this dangerous pair of lovers on a trip to Stirling Castle.

Douglas overplayed his hand when he married Margaret. The Council was leery of having their enemy’s sister as regent and was glad for an excuse to replace her with the Duke of Albany, a Stewart who was raised in France. Margaret, however, refused to hand over the royal children until Albany laid siege to Stirling Castle.

Margaret Tudor Defying Parliament

A number of Highlander chieftains also died at Flodden, although there are conflicting stories as to how many and which ones were killed in the battle. This sudden change in the leadership of several clans added another layer of volatility, shifting alliances, and violence. In addition, the lack of a strong king led some of the Highland clans to rise up in rebellion again.

James IV was a Renaissance man, ahead of his time. In addition to supporting education, music, and new architecture, he unified his fractious country, skillfully negotiated European politics, and brought a period of relative peace to Scotland.

The four heroes of my RETURN OF THE HIGHLANDERS series left for France five years before the battle that changed everything. As soon as they hear the news of the Scot’s devastating loss to Henry VIII’s forces at Flodden, they hurry home to help their clan through the troubled times ahead.

And troubled times they were.

*****

Visit Margaret Mallory at http://www.margaretmallory.com/.  Leave a comment for your chance to win a signed copy of Ms. Mallory's new release: THE GUARDIAN!!!

THE RETURN OF THE HIGHLANDERS: BOOK I


Four fearless warriors return to the Highlands to claim their lands and legacies. But all their trials on the battlefield can't prepare them for their greatest challenge yet: winning the hearts of four willful Scottish beauties.

PASSION IGNITED

After years of fighting abroad, Ian MacDonald comes home to find his clan in peril. To save his kin, he must right the wrongs from his past . . . and claim the bride he's long resisted.

As a young lass, Sìleas depended on Ian to play her knight in shining armor. But when his rescue attempt compromised her virtue, Ian was forced to marry against his wishes. Five years later, Sìleas has grown from an awkward girl into an independent beauty who knows she deserves better than the reluctant husband who preferred war to his wife. Now this devilishly handsome Highlander is finally falling in love. He wants a second chance with Sìleas - and he won't take no for an answer.



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Photos courtesy of Wikipedia, with the exception for the photo of The Great Hall, which was taken by the author, the author's photo, and the cover picture.